Team Blitz India
Thiruvananthapuram: In a path-breaking initiative, the Kerala Government has proposed to come out with a comprehensive policy on AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics and Extended Reality), a cutting-edge technology domain with immense potential for the state to emerge as a knowledge-based economy.
The draft AVGC-XR policy will be put out in the public domain to elicit views and suggestions from the public, including experts, professionals, and investors, before it is finalised. The policy will set a target of creating 50,000 jobs in AVGC-XR in the state by 2029, by facilitating at least 250 firms, including multinational companies.
Kerala has huge scope to emerge as a global AVGC-XR hub, considering its capabilities in the technology domain and the government’s far-sighted and transformational initiatives.
As a trailblazer in most critical aspects of educational, scientific, and technological advancements, having cent per cent literacy, universal education and a strong public healthcare infrastructure, the state is eminently qualified to emerge as an AVGC-XR hub.
Building on its strong social development base, Kerala in recent years has emerged as the country’s startup powerhouse.
The government aims to make the proposed policy a well-defined and transformational framework to take the state forward by eliciting and compiling the views and suggestions of a wide range of informed persons including CEOs of global companies, investors, professionals, academics, and students.
This endeavour makes use of the combined expertise of agencies such as Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), KSIDC, KSFDC, Kerala Digital University, C-DIT, Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON), Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (KDISC) and Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission.
The policy aims to equip the state to be capable of claiming at least 10 per cent of the export of AVGC-XRbased products and services from the country. Each year, at least 10,000 professionals would be identified and brought into this fast-growing sector.
KSUM’s Emerging Technology Hub will be expanded by including e-game and XR as part of it. As many as 150 AVGC-XR startups will be incubated. AVGC-XR labs will also be incorporated in the work-near-home project of K-DISC.
A Centre of Excellence will be developed in Thiruvananthapuram at a 20-acre site as the base for AVGC-XR activities. Also, AVGSC-XR parks and labs will be set up and spaces will be earmarked for this domain in technology parks.
